Ronaldo: I thought about United return

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he did "think about" Manchester United during the summer as the club waged a campaign to re-sign him from Real Madrid.

Ronaldo left United for Madrid for £80 million in 2009, but during the summer the Premier League champions had invested significant effort in attempting to persuade the forward to return to Old Trafford.

Rio Ferdinand recently revealed that he had made a personal effort to try to convince his former teammate to make the switch but, ultimately, Ronaldo committed to a new five-year contract at the Bernabeu in September and said at the time: "Everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years, but Manchester is in the past."

Human touch

Let football celebrate not just Cristiano Ronaldo the player, but Cristiano Ronaldo the person for his firmly deserved Ballon d'Or win, writes Rob Train.

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Speaking after he claimed the 2013 Ballon d'Or on Monday night, Ronaldo told the Times that Ferdinand had been in regular contact over a transfer and insisted he had given thought to the prospect of a return.

"It is true Rio and I spoke a lot [in the summer]," Ronaldo said. "Rio is a great friend of mine. We played together for many years at Manchester United. We were neighbours when I was there in Manchester. He is a fantastic guy and he tried to change my mind to go back to Manchester.

"I did think about United. They are still in my heart. It is a club where I played for six years and I love that club. I have a lot of friends there and I wish them all the best."

Ronaldo added that, after enjoying an excellent year on a personal level, he is now hoping to earn silverware with Madrid and Portugal.

"I hope to do better than last year this season," he said. "I am going to try to do my best to win trophies with Madrid and my country. This season is a challenge for me."